Woefully Neglected

I keep reminding myself of all the little snippets of everyday life I am going to forget if I don't document them here. There is so much change going on in the Hanson household on a daily basis. I know it will be like this for a while. It's hard to keep up and not dwell on all that has happened and start to feel so sad that MY LITTLE BABY IS GOING TO BE TWO!

I realize that I have another baby already, but in my mind Gianna is still my baby. Of course, so is Stella, but more in honorary designation. She is able to use the toilet and request things clearly. Stella is able to have conversations with us about the things she like and, especially the things she dislikes. For instance, she strongly dislikes it if you smile at her when she first wakes up in the morning. She's also not afraid to telling you when you're making her angry. This typically involves some sort of denial on our part: no cookie for breakfast, no TV first thing, basically no giving in to all her fleshly appetites whenever and wherever she deems fit. This is a hard one because I find myself frequently thinking, "What's the harm of a cookie right now, really, in the scheme of things?" or "Do I really want to have our daily pre-nap argument (fight, really) about going to the bathroom before she goes to sleep?" Some days I don't, so I don't make her. I have to get over this rigid mom in my head that thinks that if there's one day where I let the toilet thing slide before nap she'll never listen to anything I have to say and be wearing a diaper to sleep for the rest of her life.

Anyway, back to my baby. She has a lot to say. We frequently comment on how much more Gianna talks than Stella did at her age. I'm sure it's having an older sibling that you need to comminicate with that has encouraged this skill. Mom and Dad aren't always around to say, "Don't take that, it's mine!" or other necessary negotiating terms.

She's also turned into a little character that sticks her hands in her pockets while swaying her hips to music. She even has songs that she requests by name. A favorite for both girls is "Mahna Mahna." The best part is hearing Gianna request it. "Mahnamamna, Da Da! Mahnamamna, Da Da!" Or the other song that she requests simply by saying, "Ow Ow! Ow Ow!" You'll understand if you're able to hear a few seconds of this clip. Both of the girls love these songs.

Gianna has grown the curliest head of hair in the house, as well. When dry it's shoulder length. When wet it goes halfway down her back, just imagine those curls. Wait you don't have to:



In addition, Gianna LOVES her little sister Noni. Noni is the first things that Gianna asks me about in the morning. "Where Noni, Mama?" And regarless of the questions she asks, the response you're usually given is, "Oh."

I'm not doing justice to her cuteness. It really must be experienced in person. But I knew I needed to write some stuff down lest I forget. She's turning two on July 10th while we're in Portland. And six years ago on July 10th Jamie and I were wandering the streets of Firenze, Italia footloose and fancy-free. But that's another story for another day.

She's got that twinkle:



Enjoying some sun:



She loves this sister:



And this one:



Very excited:





Meanwhile, we also have this cute little bitty:



Who's already going to be two months old very soon. Don't get me started on time flying. And I'm not even always having fun.